Stars name Nieuwendyk general manager (AP)

Brett Hull and Les Jackson are out as co-general managers of the Dallas Stars, and in their place is another former star player, Joe Nieuwendyk. The surprising change was announced Sunday. Nieuwendyk had been the special assistant to the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “These moves are all about helping this club take the proverbial ‘next step,”‘ team owner Tom Hicks said in a statement.

Back-to-back games to open Cup finals (AP)

The Stanley Cup playoffs can be a grind. Teams go after each other for 60 minutes and come back and do it again every other night. But the NHL decided to do things differently for this year’s Cup finals, having the Red Wings and Penguins go back-to-back to kick off the series. Detroit beat Pittsburgh 3-1 on Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena, and they’re back at it on Sunday night.

Pens look to copy Oilers of early 80s (AP)

Back before Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier became, well, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, they were a pair of budding superstars trying to shake off a loss in the Stanley Cup finals. The next year they were champions. A quarter-century later, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the up-and-coming Pittsburgh Penguins are striving to copy the achievement.

Resilient Wings take 2-0 lead on Pens (AP)

Valtteri Filppula and Jonathan Ericsson scored in the second period and the resilient Detroit Red Wings opened a two-game lead over Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup finals for the second year in a row, winning 3-1 in Game 2 on Sunday night. Playoffs scoring leader Evgeni Malkin gave Pittsburgh its first lead of the series by scoring on a power play late in the first, but the frustrated Penguins…

Ratings down for Game 1 of Cup finals (AP)

Television ratings for Game 1 of the Red Wings-Penguins Stanley Cup finals rematch were down from last year’s levels. The NBC telecast drew a 2.6 rating and a 5 share. That’s compared with a four-game NBC average of a 3.2 rating and a 6 share one year ago. Detroit beat Pittsburgh 3-1 in Saturday night’s Game 1 and won the Cup over the Pens in six games in 2008.

Wings top Pens 3-1 in Cup finals opener (AP)

The Detroit Red Wings gave Marc-Andre Fleury flashbacks. And, they weren’t good. Johan Franzen scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and Chris Osgood made 31 saves, helping the defending champions beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. Franzen and Brad Stuart had goals that bounced off Fleury, who sat on a shot that trickled in for Detroit’s…

Wings’ Datsyuk, Draper to sit out again (AP)

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is keeping his lineup the same for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals, meaning injured forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper will again sit out against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The teams will be back on the ice Sunday night, less than 24 hours after the Red Wings took the series opener 3-1 on Saturday.

Wings top Pens in Game 1 of Cup finals (AP)

The Detroit Red Wings gave Marc-Andre Fleury flashbacks. And, they weren’t good. Johan Franzen scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period and Chris Osgood made 31 saves, helping the defending champions beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. Franzen and Brad Stuart had goals that bounced off Fleury, who sat on a shot that trickled in for Detroit’s…

Lidstrom, Ericsson return to stymie Pens (AP)

Nicklas Lidstrom and Jonathan Ericsson couldn’t have come back at a better time for the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. The Swedish defensemen returned for Game 1 of the finals Saturday night and were instrumental in limiting the Pittsburgh Penguins to one goal and holding star Sidney Crosby scoreless in Detroit’s 3-1 victory.

Penguins unable to finish in Game 1 loss (AP)

Evgeni Malkin on a breakaway, just missed. Miroslav Satan with an open net in front of him, just missed. Sidney Crosby off the post, just missed. The Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup finals rematch against Detroit? Just missed. The Penguins were certain they had shed the inexperience, the shakiness, the lack of confidence and the unfamiliarity with the championship setting that…

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